Hangovers
by McAbbyAddict
Summary: Tim wakes up one morning with a massive hangover and no memory of the night before. What is going on?  COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: Ok, I know this has been done to death, but I couldn't resist when this popped into my head. Enjoy! F.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any characters etc. They're all property of Belisarius Productions.**

Consciousness returned slowly. His eyelids felt like they were stuck together. Lifting one hand, he rubbed at his eyes, clearing them enough to open them. He quickly wished he hadn't. The light was blinding. He blinked a few times, hoping the room would come back into focus. His head throbbed, his tongue felt furry, and the only way he could keep his eyes open was to squint. He struggled to sit up, groaning as the pain in his head increased. He took in the fact that this wasn't his room; wasn't any room he was familiar with, before movement next to him startled him into turning his head quickly. It was a mistake. He closed his eyes, wishing the room would stop spinning. When it did, he opened them again, hoping that what he'd seen before was some figment of his imagination. But the sleeping figure next to him was still there. Squinting harder to make sure he was seeing clearly, he sighed. He recognised the black hair and the spider web tattoo. It was definitely Abby. And judging from what he could see, she was naked. He became aware that he was too. Groaning again, he slumped against the headboard. What had he done last night?

Gingerly, trying not to wake Abby, he crawled out of the bed and staggered towards the bathroom. He splashed water on his face, then rummaged through the cabinet. Finding some Tylenol, he ran a glass of water and swallowed two. He took the time to look around, noticing the little touches that announced that they were in a hotel. He checked the little bottles of shampoo and conditioner that sat on the counter. They proclaimed that it was part of the Hilton chain. That didn't really help. Which Hilton? And how had he woken up with what felt like the mother of all hangovers? He got in the shower, hoping the water would clear some of the fog from his brain.

Feeling slightly better as the Tylenol kicked in, he went quietly back out of the bathroom. She was awake, looking around blearily. He knew that feeling. Wordlessly he held the packet of Tylenol and a glass of water out to her, knowing that any second she'd notice the same things he had. She took the painkillers without thinking; he could clearly see the moment when she realised what was going on.

"Tim?" she asked in disbelief

He nodded, wishing he didn't a moment later

She looked around her in confusion

"How did we get here? And where is here?" she asked

"I was hoping you could answer that" he told her

She shook her head, wincing a little

"Hangover?" he asked sympathetically "Me too." He watched as she raised her left hand to push her tangled hair out of her face, stiffening in shock as he noticed something out of place

"Abs. Your hand"

She looked down at it, her eyes widening at the sight of the shiny gold band on the third finger

"What in the hell did we do last night?"


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Whoa, I have never had a response like that to any other story I've posted. Thank you all so much for your alerts and reviews! My email account was working overtime.**

**This chapter is short, but I could not figure out a good way to take it to the next part without breaking it here. More tomorrow. F. **

"Ok, this has gotta be a joke, right?" she continued

He sunk down onto the bed. The shock was clearing his head a little

"Unless... no, that's ridiculous" he thought out loud

"What?"

"Unless we're in Vegas"

"Vegas?"

"It makes a weird sort of sense, Abs. It's the only place in the country where you can get married without a waiting period, remember?"

"Don't you think we'd remember if we flew halfway across the country, McGee?" she countered

He shrugged a little

"Abby, I'm having trouble remembering anything from last night. You?" he asked pointedly. Surely she'd been just as drunk as he was

"Not really" she admitted

He got up, making sure the towel was securely hitched around his waist, looking for anything that would shed some light on what they'd done the night before. Tucked half way behind the cushions of the armchair next to the bed, he found it. An official looking piece of heavy grade paper. Pulling it out, his heart sank as he saw the inscription

"Uh, Abby, this isn't a joke"

He turned back to the bed and handed her the piece of paper.

"It's a marriage certificate. Issued by the Little White Wedding Chapel, Las Vegas"

She stared at him for a long moment, her face pale

"This is all your fault" she stated

"Hang on, how is this my fault? It was your idea!" He stopped, an odd look on his face. She closed her eyes as memory flooded back

"_Hey Timmy, wanna do something __**really**__ impulsive?"_

"_Sure Abs, like what?"_

"_Not sure..." she looked around, noticing the Little White Wedding Chapel across the street. "Ooh, gotta idea! Let's get married!" she exclaimed_

"_I dunno, Abs" Even through the alcohol he sounded doubtful_

"_Oh come on Timmy, it'll be fun". She grabbed his hand and dragged him towards the chapel_

"Oh crap" she whispered

"And I don't think that's all we did" he continued. She followed his gaze to the line of discarded clothes on the floor, leading to the bed.


	3. Chapter 3

As he stared at the trail of clothes on the floor, flashes of memory hit him. Kissing Abby in the hallway as he fumbled for the passkey. Her starting to undo his shirt buttons, then giving up and tugging it off over his head while he laughed. The feel of her skin under his hands

"McGee!"

The sound of his name snapped him back to the present. He could feel himself blushing; from the tone of her voice, it wasn't the first time she'd called him

"Sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked if you can remember anything about last night" she told him, clearly exasperated.

"Bits and pieces. Nothing important" he told her, quickly scooping up their clothes from the floor. He put hers on the bed for her, making a beeline for the bathroom to get dressed.

...

He sat with his head in his hands while she showered, trying to force his foggy mind to come up with answers. As far as he could see, they had two major problems. The first was figuring out how they'd gotten here and what else they may have done; the second was figuring out how to fix it.

The only logical solution to their bizarre marriage, he decided, was an annulment, provided that being drunker than he'd ever been in his life was grounds for one. Otherwise, they'd have to file for divorce. He winced. He didn't like the sound of that at all, and he was pretty sure Abby would like it even less.

He looked up as the bathroom door opened. Abby came to stand before him, hands on her hips.

"It won't come off" she told him. He must have looked confused, because she repeated herself

"The ring, McGee. It won't come off"

He suggested the first thing that came to mind

"Did you try soaping it?"

She rolled her eyes

"Of course I did, McGee! It still won't come off. So now I have to walk around with it on"

"Abs, I really think that's the least of our problems right now" he pointed out

"That's easy for you to say, McGee!"

"Abby, please. We can sort that out later. Right now, we need to do something about this". He picked up the marriage certificate from the bed and waved it in her direction "The only thing I can think of is an annulment, but I'm not sure if we have grounds for that". He started hunting around for his cell, knowing that accessing the Internet from his iPhone would be the quickest way to get an answer to that question. Finding it half hidden under the bed, he picked it up and unlocked the screen. It opened to the message function; it must have been the last thing he'd done with it. Funny, he didn't remember sending a picture message. Looking closely at the thumbnail view of the picture, his heart sank. The picture was a photo of him and Abby under a 'Just Married' banner. Frantically he looked at the title bar. He'd sent it to Tony.

**A/N: I know, evil huh?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry this took a few days. Hope you like it!**

**Anything in italics is a flashback. F.**

As he stared in disbelief at the phone in his hand, it began to ring, startling him into almost dropping it. The caller ID said it was Tony; nervously he pressed the Call Accept button and put the phone to his ear.

"McGee"

"Nice try, Probie. How long did it take you to photo shop that one?"

"Sorry?"

"The picture, McGee, the one you sent me?"

Just then Abby came up to him, her phone in her hand

"Tim, I rang the courthouse and they're closed on weekends- oh, sorry, didn't realise you were on the phone"

"Hang on a sec. Was that Abby?" Tony sounded a little taken aback

"No, Tony, it wasn't" McGee tried to cover

"Oh come on, Probie, that was definitely Abby. Which means... you really did it, didn't you?" he laughed "Wait til Gibbs hears about this!"

"Tony, you wouldn't"

"Try me, McVegas. I'm assuming that's where you are, right? Cause there's a bunch of states without a waiting period but I doubt you can get married in the middle of the night"

"Tony, you can't tell Gibbs"

"Relax, McGee. Hey, is this because of what I said yesterday? Because there's a difference between acting on impulse and acting crazy"

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't remember that? We all went out for a drink after work... I said the reason you never have a date is because you over think things?"

McGee was silent, trying to remember through the fog that surrounded the night before.

"I gotta go, Probie, there's someone at the door. Say hi to your wife for me" he gave a last laugh before hanging up.

...

_They sat at a table, Tony, Ziva, McGee, Abby, Ducky and Palmer. Only Gibbs was missing. The bar was crowded; Tony sat watching a small group of young women at the bar. Suddenly he excused himself from the table, going over to the women. _

"_Ten bucks says he gets shot down" Abby offered._

"_You're on" McGee told her._

_They looked on as Tony spoke to a pretty blonde for a few minutes before coming back to the table._

"_Pay up" Abby smirked. Scowling, McGee pulled out his wallet, handing Abby the promised $10."Tony strikes out more than he'd like to admit" she told him._

"_Premature, Probie" Tony stopped him "We're going out to dinner tomorrow night". It was McGee's turn to smirk as he pulled the $10 note back out of Abby's hand. She smacked a second note into his outstretched palm._

"_See, McDateless, if you actually go and talk to women, you might have something better to do than write on Saturday nights" Tony went on._

"_Hey, I go on dates" McGee defended himself._

"_Only after you've thought things to death, Probie. Try acting on impulse for once."_

He shook his head, bringing his mind back to the present. How had they gotten from a bar in Georgetown to a hotel in Vegas?

At least he was starting to remember.


	5. Chapter 5

He went over to Abby.

"We have another problem" he announced. "Tony knows"

Her eyes widened a little. "How did Tony find out?"  
"Um, well, I may have sent him a message" he admitted "I didn't realise I'd done it until I picked up my phone. That's who called."

"McGee!"

He reflected that he was getting sick of hearing that same accusatory note in her voice. This was not all his fault.

"Look, I'm sorry Abs. I wish I hadn't sent him the message. But I'm not the only one that did stupid things last night. Whose idea was it to get married anyway?" he pointed out.

Stung, she responded. "It was your idea to come here in the first place!"

He raised an eyebrow. "My idea?"

She nodded, cocking her head to one side slightly as she tried to recall the elusive memory.

"We were talking about places we'd never been... You were saying that you'd always wanted to see Vegas. You said we should just go to the airport and get on the first flight to Vegas..."

He nodded

"You said we were too drunk, they'd never let us on board" he said slowly as he remembered

"_Come on Abs, come with me. We'll stay in one of the casinos on the Strip"_

_She shook her head, laughing. "Like they're gonna let us on a plane, Timmy. We're drunk!"_

"_Wanna bet?" The recklessness he felt had gotten stronger with every shot. He was daring her now._

"_You're on"_

_He left some money on the bar and grabbed her hand, dragging her outside and hailing a cab_

"So I guess we know how we got here, then" he told her. He sighed. "I'm really sorry Abby; this is my fault. I shouldn't have let Tony get to me like that"

As the alcoholic haze lifted, he was remembering more and more details of the night before, though there were still massive gaps in his recollections. He hoped she'd be able to fill in some of the holes.

"What else do you remember?" she asked, curious.

"Tony said I never act on impulse" he started. He saw by her nod that she remembered that too, so he continued "I was sitting there with Ziva, Tony and you, thinking he was right, and all of a sudden I just wanted to prove him wrong..."

"You ordered tequila" she supplied "We were doing shots together. Which is weird, because you never do shots"

"That's when things get a little hazy" he admitted. "We ended up here in Vegas, but I really don't remember much between landing at the airport and waking up this morning"

"Other than getting married"

"Other than that, yeah" he agreed. "What are we going to do about that, Abs? We can't stay married" he pointed out.

"I guess we talk to a lawyer. But that'll have to wait until Monday. In the meantime, we probably should try and get home" she suggested.

Nodding, he unlocked his cell and started searching for flights back to Washington.

...

She watched as Tim concentrated on his phone, the furrows of his brow getting deeper as he searched. Finally he looked up

"There's no direct flight until tomorrow morning" he informed her. "Every flight that's not full has at least a two hour layover. That's a minimum 7 hour flight"

Abby grimaced; being stuck on a plane for that long with a hangover sounded like a terrible idea.

"So what do we do?" she asked.

"Well, either we spend half the night getting home, or we stay here tonight and fly home tomorrow"

The idea of spending a more sober night in Vegas sounding too tempting to resist, especially with Tim. As hinky as the morning had been, he was still her best friend.

"Fly home tomorrow" they said in unison.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Well, I survived the weekend, so here's another chapter. For those of you waiting on a new chapter of 'Choices', my other story, please be patient. I'll have one up as soon as I can, but I'm struggling with a little creative stifling.**

**In the meantime, enjoy! F.  
**

Deciding that they couldn't face the thought of breakfast, McGee rang down to room service for coffee. As he expected, it arrived quickly. He turned from closing the door behind the overly curious room service waiter to find Abby surveying her clothing with a look of distaste.

"I need new clothes" she announced. At his quizzical look, she explained

"I wore these at work all day yesterday and half of last night. I can't wear them all day again today and tomorrow until we get home, McGee."

He had to admit she had a point

"So...shopping?"

...

Shopping with Abby was an experience. As her hangover had receded, she'd become her usual bubbly self. Grinning at his expression as he inspected the male Gothic fashions in the shops they visited, she convinced him to try on one of the less extreme outfits. She burst out laughing as he exited the change room. Making a face at himself in the mirror, he quickly re-entered the cubicle and changed back into his own clothes. Opening the door again, he saw Abby still convulsed with hilarity.

"This sort of stuff looks good on you, Abs, but I think I'll stick to something else" he informed her. Wiping her streaming eyes, she nodded.

...

Shopping completed, they caught a cab back to the hotel and changed clothes.

"Right. So where do we start?" he asked.

Abby considered a moment before replying.

"Let's just start at one end of the Strip and work our way back" she suggested.

"Done"

...

The spent the rest of the day seeing what Vegas had to offer. They rode the rollercoaster at the Stratosphere at Abby's insistence, Tim keeping his eyes closed and trying not to panic; climbed the Eiffel Tower at the Paris; spent a couple of hours in the Reef exhibit at the Mandalay Bay. After watching the lion cubs at the MGM Grand, Abby taught Tim the finer points of poker, laughing at the delighted grin on his face when he won his first hand.

"Some poker face" she teased

He gave her a sheepish look. "Hey, at least I managed to keep a straight face when I was playing" he pointed out. "Where'd you learn to play poker anyway?"

"My uncle used to run a weekly poker night when I was growing up. He taught me" she explained.

"Wait, is this the same uncle that owned the bar in Canal Street?" he asked

"That's the one" she confirmed. "After a while he and his poker buddies wouldn't let me play anymore; I won too much."

He grinned. He could believe that.

...

By the time they made it back to the hotel, it was dark. They'd visited M&M World, watched the volcano at the Mirage and ridden the gondolas at the Venetian.

"What now?" Abby asked as she sat down on the end of the bed.

"Dinner? I made a reservation at the hotel restaurant" he told her. She nodded as he went to get changed. She was glad she'd had the foresight to buy a new dress.

Tim was waiting for her when she exited the bathroom. She'd been unable to resist the temptation when she'd seen the low cut, figure hugging black dress in one of the stores they'd visited that morning. She caught a glimpse of appreciation on his face before he turned to open the door and smiled to herself. The dress had been a good idea.

...

After dinner, they wandered back up the Strip to the MGM, settling themselves down at a table in the poker room. They played for a few hours, the pile of chips at Abby's elbow growing steadily larger. Folding on a hand, McGee put his cards down in disgust and watched Abby instead. Her eyes were intent though her face remained expressionless as she concentrated on the cards in her hand. Laying down her full house to beat the dealer's two pairs, she contentedly raked in her winnings, stacking the chips into neat piles. McGee tapped her on the shoulder.

"Abs, we should probably go" he told her.

She looked around for a clock. Not finding one, she asked "What time is it?"  
"It's 2am, Abby. Our flight's at 11, remember? We've been here for hours." She stood and collected her chips while he watched

"Now I understand why your uncle wouldn't let you play anymore" he said as they headed for a cashier's window. "Remind me not to play against you again."

They caught a cab for the short distance back to the hotel, wearily re-entering their room. He went over to the bed, picking up a pillow and getting a spare blanket out of the closet and depositing them on the couch while she watched.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Sleeping on the couch" he replied. "There's only one bed, remember?"

Abby rolled her eyes. "We're both adults, Tim, I'm sure we can manage to share a bed."

"Like last night?" he asked pointedly. She flushed a little at the memory.

"Last night we were both drunk, Tim. Neither of us has been drinking tonight" she reasoned.

He shook his head. "Not a good idea, drunk or sober" he told her. He took a few steps towards her, coming close enough so she could see the flicker of desire in his eyes. Her breath caught. He was going to kiss her, she knew it. A little shocked, she realised she wanted him to kiss her. At the last moment, he took a step back, shaking his head.

"Not a good idea" he repeated. "Goodnight, Abs." He turned and headed to the bathroom, leaving her speechless.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Ok, so this chapter really isn't funny, or very long. But it was necessary. More later. F**

Abby sat cross-legged in the middle of the bed, waiting for Tim to come out of the bathroom. Her mind was still reeling from the events of the previous few minutes. She'd put their little encounter of the night before down to the effects of drinking way too much tequila; now, she had to admit that she was still attracted to her best friend. And he'd made it extremely obvious that he was attracted to her.

So what did she do now? Plainly, he'd left the next move up to her. Part of her wanted to just go for it; this was Tim. They had fun together, and the chemistry was definitely there. Their previous relationship had worked well. She smiled, recalling memories from then. Slowly her smile faded. That was just it. Their previous relationship had worked a little too well. Tim was a forever kind of guy, and she wasn't much of a one for commitment. She snorted softly at the irony. They'd gotten married a little over 24 hours ago, after all. Although it didn't really count, she told herself. Drunken Vegas elopements didn't count. Especially when they were going to get it annulled.

'Pity'

The thought came to mind unbidden, sending her tired brain into a whirl. She couldn't honestly be thinking of staying married to Tim, could she? She didn't need, or want, a husband. If she did, Tim would make an ideal one. He was smart, funny, cute, kind, caring... it would be so easy to fall for him.

The sound of the shower turning off made her turn her head around in alarm. She couldn't face Tim right now, not with her thoughts in turmoil like this. Quickly she crawled into the bed, pulling the covers up over her shoulders, and closed her eyes.

...

Abby was asleep when he finally left the bathroom. He watched her for a moment, wishing that this was real, that she really was his wife. Sternly he repressed the thought. This was not a marriage, he told himself. This was 15 minutes of complete insanity during an already crazy night. Which is why they'd be going to a lawyer as soon as possible. Making himself move away from the bed, he went and lay down on the couch. He sighed. Spending the day together had reminded him of exactly how he'd ended up falling in love with Abby in the first place. He knew he'd gotten too close to kissing her before. Drunk was one thing, sober was another. But he'd just been unable to explain any other way.

Sleep was going to be a long time coming tonight.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I get the feeling some of you were a little disappointed with the ending of the previous chapter. Hopefully this is better **

Abby fought to keep her breathing even until he settled down on the couch and turned out the lights. Then she drew her knees up close to her chest and opened her eyes. She felt bad, pretending to sleep when they obviously needed to talk. But she needed to think things through before they did, and she knew that once they got home, she'd have precious little time to do so. Working for NCIS was like that.

This crazy elopement had been her idea, she knew that. Everyone did stupid things when they were drunk, but there was always some variety of motivation behind them. Getting married would have been the last thing she'd suggest sober, but it had seemed like such a sensible thing to do last night. So what was her motivation?

Suddenly she recalled the rest of the memory; the missing few minutes before she dragged Tim into the wedding chapel. They'd been walking down the street when she'd bumped into a pair of obvious newlyweds, still clutching their marriage certificate. She'd apologised, but they hadn't heard her; they'd been too busy staring at each other. They'd looked so happy, and she'd wondered if she'd ever been that happy herself. Then she'd looked at Tim, and knew that she had been once. That's why she'd dragged Tim across the street, and why they'd gone to the nearby courthouse when they realised they needed a license.

Normally, she'd never even think of suggesting to him that they get married. But now that it was done, she had to admit she wasn't all that keen on undoing it. And then there was the attraction between them... Recalling the desire in his eyes, and the few fleeting flashes of memory from the night before, she felt her heart start to race. He was just over there, barely 20 feet away. All she had to do was climb out of the bed... No, she told herself. He'd said it himself; it was not a good idea. She didn't know who'd made the first move last night, but she was determined not to do so tonight. Last night could be written off as a drunken fling; without the alcohol, it would be another story entirely. She lay there and wrestled with her decision for what felt like hours. Impulse finally won out over common sense. Her heart beating uncomfortably fast, she flung back the covers and got out of the bed.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Weirdly, I did not post a single thing yesterday. Sorry for the delay- I wrote, just it wasn't good. So I totally re-wrote this chapter. Hope you like it. F.**

He lay in the darkness, wide awake. Across the room, he could hear Abby moving about restlessly in the bed. Obscurely, he was glad she wasn't sleeping peacefully; why should he be the only one?

For the first time in hours, his mind wasn't occupied by the twin problems of trying to remember what had happened the night before, and how to fix it. Now, the biggest thing stopping him from sleeping lay in a bed a mere 20 feet away. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw disconnected flashes of memory, and the most vivid of them was making his heart race. He tried his best to bury them, but his mind wouldn't let go. So he lay and stared at the ceiling, hoping that eventually his brain would get as tired as the rest of him and he'd finally get some sleep.

Rustling and faintly seen movement caught his attention. Turning his head, he was surprised to see Abby carefully making her way across the 20 feet of space that separated them. What was she up to?

He sat up as she reached the couch, giving her room to sit down.

"Can't sleep either, huh?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Tried and failed" she told him. She took a deep breath. "Why isn't sharing a bed a good idea?" she asked.

A little taken aback, he tried to formulate an answer that didn't involve another demonstration like before.

"Abby... I thought I'd made that pretty clear" he told her.

"Tim, what you made clear is that you want to, not why it's a bad idea." She shifted closer as she spoke, angling towards him so they were almost touching. He turned to watch her. Something in her expression told him she wasn't just teasing, she was serious. And she knew the effect she was having on him.

"You do want to, don't you?" Her voice was low and husky, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Yes" he admitted. He tried to hold on to all the reasons why he'd decided this was a bad idea, but she moved even closer and rational thought eluded him.

...

The persistent beeping of his phone alarm woke him, hours later. At first he couldn't figure out what the noise was; comprehension made him stretch out his arm, searching for the source of the buzzing. When he couldn't find it, he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was Abby. She was lying across his right arm, stirring slightly as the alarm broke into her sleep. She rolled over, opening her eyes and looking at him.

"What is that noise?" she asked.

"My alarm, but I can't get to my phone to turn it off" he told her.

She sat up, releasing his arm. He got out of the bed, going over and picking his phone up off the floor next to the couch where he'd left it.

"You wake up to that every morning?" she asked. "That's one of the most annoying sounds I've ever heard."

"That's kinda the point, Abs- it's almost impossible to sleep through. Though I think we just about managed it." He'd looked at the time as he'd slid the bar to unlock the phone. "The alarm on this doesn't cancel itself; if you don't turn it off it just keeps going. We've gotta hurry." He grabbed their things off the floor for the second time this weekend, quickly sorting them into two piles.

"how long has it been going for?" she asked.

"Um, about 45 minutes. We have to be at the airport in an hour"


	10. Chapter 10

"An hour? How far are we from the airport?"

"About 20 minutes"

She took the pile of clothes he was holding out to her, scrambling into them quickly. If working with the MCRT had taught her one thing, it was the ability to work to a ridiculously short deadline while ignoring distractions, and she needed that ability now. She knew they really had to talk about the ramifications of the night before, but they couldn't take time now or they'd miss this flight. It was unlikely that they'd get another flight at all, seeing as though it was a Sunday and most people would be heading home from a weekend in Vegas. That would mean flying home tomorrow, missing a day of work and landing themselves in trouble.

'Well' she thought to herself, catching sight of the gold band on her ring finger again 'more trouble than we're already in.'

She moved around the hotel room, gathering up her belongings from where they'd ended up over the past two days. As she found more of her stuff, she deposited it on the bed. There was one small snag; how were they going to get their things home? She could see Tim pulling some black and shapeless things out of the closet. He turned and tossed one to her; she put her hands out and caught the thing automatically before registering that it was a small duffel bag.

"Thought we'd need these" he commented.

"When did you get them?" she asked as she started stuffing clothes into the one he'd given her. There wasn't time to be neat. "I didn't even notice you had."

"Yesterday, while we were out shopping" he told her.

"Boy Scout" she teased, brushing past him on her way to the bathroom. She caught a glimpse of his 'Scout's Honour' salute as she left the room, and couldn't stop herself from grinning. It amazed her slightly how quickly they'd fallen into their usual bantering pattern. She guessed the return to awkwardness would come later.

She quickly washed her face and hands, running a brush through her hair before tying it up again. Making sure she had everything, she stuffed the toiletries into the duffel bag. Turning to Tim, she announced "I'm ready when you are."

...

Shaking his head a little, Tim went to collect the last of his things from the bathroom. Even without Caf-Pow, Abby still had a ton of energy. He was barely even awake yet, and she was packed and ready to go. Was she like this every morning? He hadn't spent enough early mornings in her company to be able to tell. He suppressed a wish to find out the answer to that question. This morning excepted, he wasn't going to be in a position to answer it. With a last wistful look at it, he tugged at the gold wedding band on his hand. He weighed it in his palm for a moment, wishing that he didn't have to take it off, that this small symbol of their drunken elopement had been a symbol of something more permanent. Sighing, he tucked it in his pocket, and then picked up the last few personal items left in the bathroom, rejoining her. She looked impatient.

"Come on, Tim, we're going to be late" she urged. He smiled. Her constant enthusiasm was contagious. He shouldered both bags, and gestured for her to go before him.

...

After a trip with the world's slowest cab driver, and a mad dash through the airport, they made their flight with 5 minutes to spare before check-in closed. Boarding had already started when they got to the gate, so they joined the queue, managing to get seats together once they made it onto the plane.

As Tim turned from stuffing their bags into the overhead compartment and dropped into his seat, he saw Abby fixing him with an accusatory stare.

"What's wrong?"

"You're not wearing your ring" she stated.

A little confused, he replied "I took it off earlier... I didn't see a reason to keep wearing it." As he spoke, he knew he'd said the wrong thing. Her eyes narrowed.

"If I have to wear it, you have to, McGee."

"Abby-"

"I am not going to be the only one with a visible reminder of this, McGee. Where is it?"

"In my pocket"

She pointed. "Ring. Your finger. Now"

He dug in his pocket, retrieving the ring and slipping it back onto his finger.

"Better?"

She nodded once. "Promise me you won't take it off again."

"I promise, Abs."

They fell silent, the quiet quickly becoming awkward. The episode with the ring had reminded him that they still hadn't talked about the previous night, or about the whole weekend really. And now they were stuck in close quarters for 5 hours. He looked around. Seated as they were towards the back of the plane in a 2 seat section, there were few people within earshot. And those he could see appeared to be occupied with their own activities. He looked back at Abby. She had her eyes downcast; it was obvious that she was feeling just as out of her depth as he was. They couldn't keep putting this off; they had to talk sometime.

Clearing his throat, he asked

"So... where do we go from here?"


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: No cliffhanger this time, I promise!**

She shrugged. "Home, I guess. And then tomorrow we need to go and see a lawyer. I was thinking, if we go to Legal, Lang owes me a favour."

McGee tried to imagine exactly how a lawyer had ended up owing Abby a favour and failed. She saw his confusion and explained

"He spilt my Caf-Pow. It was a whole one, McGee. And the machine was empty."

He grinned. Spilling Abby's Caf-Pow was almost as bad as spilling Gibbs' coffee. For a moment he felt sorry for the lawyer.

"That's not quite what I meant, Abs" he said. "I meant, where do we go after this?" he pointed to the rings they both wore. "After this whole weekend."

"Oh." Her face became uncharacteristically grave. He'd seen that look once before- when she'd broken up with him, just after he'd joined Gibbs' team. And he knew that her answer was going to be the one he'd expected, rather than the one he'd wished for.

She shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable. "Why do we have to go anywhere with this, Tim? Why can't it just be a crazy weekend we spent together after a few too many drinks?" He decided not to point out that they hadn't been drinking the night before, letting her continue instead.

"It doesn't have to change anything, McGee. You're still my best friend, right?" Her big green eyes pleaded with him to agree, and he'd never been able to resist.

He wanted to tell her that he loved her, and that he didn't want to annul their marriage. But he knew that she wanted to, and he figured that friendship with Abby was better than nothing. Which he was pretty sure was what he'd be left with if he told her what he really wanted. So he nodded in agreement, not really trusting himself to speak normally, and ignored the all too familiar shaft of pain.

When he was fairly certain he could speak without his voice betraying him, he told her "I'll always be your friend, Abs."

He watched her sigh in relief and relax in her seat at his words. He envied her. The only reason she had to care about this weekend was because it might damage their friendship. Aware of his thoughts becoming bitter, he picked up the headphones provided by the airline. "I'm going to watch a movie" he told her before putting them on, hoping to distract himself.

It didn't work. He stared blankly at the screen, not really seeing it, while his mind went over every moment of their time together, storing the memories away. Soon he felt a pressure on his arm. Startled, he looked down to find Abby leaning against his shoulder, fast asleep. His smile was bittersweet as he stroked her glossy black hair. He'd always be her friend. That's what she wanted him to be.

**A/N 2: Ok, that ended up quite sad. Hope you liked it anyway. F.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Ok, I know the last chapter was sad. This one's a bit better, I promise! F.**

Abby paced.

They'd landed back in Washington several hours ago, sharing a cab back to the Navy Yard from the airport. Abby had been thankful that she'd gotten a ride to the bar with Ziva after all; her hearse would surely have been impounded by now if she'd left it on the street. She'd gone home, wanting to do nothing more than have a hot shower and catch up on some sleep after a far from restful weekend.

But sleep had been elusive. She'd gotten up again, trying to occupy herself with a book, then a movie and finally her latest paper. Nothing had worked. So now she was bored, and restless. And lonely. The loneliness was new to her. She actually spent a fair amount of her life alone. She was used to it; preferred it, in some ways. She'd never considered that the lack of company was a bad thing. But after a weekend spent with Tim, suddenly her apartment seemed empty. She told herself that it was ridiculous to miss him after a bare 5 hours, but she did. Impulsively she put out her hand to pick up her cell and call him, and then hesitated. After he'd woken her on the plane, he'd been unfailingly polite, but cool somehow. There'd been a look in his eyes, compounded of reserve and regret. She thought she knew what that meant. He'd tried to tell her that sleeping together was a bad idea, but she'd refused to listen, and ended up seducing her own husband. The humour of the situation made her grin for a moment, but it quickly faded. Despite what she'd told Tim on the plane that morning, their relationship would change, had to change. And she was frankly terrified of what it was changing to.

...

McGee hurried along the corridor towards the Legal department, worried he was going to be late for his meeting with Abby and the lawyer. He'd passed her hearse in the parking lot, so he knew she'd made it in before him. She was waiting for him in the hallway. She looked tired and pale, he decided, suddenly glad he'd detoured by the machine and gotten her a Caf-Pow; She looked like she could use it. She turned and smiled at his approach; he couldn't tell whether it was at the sight of him or the Caf-Pow. It didn't really matter- she was smiling, so that was ok by him.

"Hey, Abs" he greeted her, holding out the ultra-caffeinated beverage.

"Morning, Timmy. Thanks."

"You ready to do this?" he asked. Seeing her nod in assent, he gestured for her to go before him.

Upon meeting Lang, McGee quickly understood why he'd been willing to meet them at such an early hour. In a way, the young lawyer reminded him of himself when he'd first met Gibbs and team. Young, green and naive, Lang was clearly intimidated by the Goth scientist. It probably didn't help that Abby in platform boots had a good six inches in height over Lang. He had to hide a grin at the frightened looks the lawyer kept giving her as he explained the procedure for getting an annulment from interstate.

"So-so provided you meet the qualifications, there shouldn't be any problem" Lang stammered. "What are the grounds?"

McGee cleared his throat. "Lack of consent- intoxication." He shot the lawyer a look, daring him to comment. Lang nodded, blurting out

"You aren't living together, are you?"

This time it was Abby's turn to glare at him. He flushed, muttering something about filing for legal separation.

"Ok. Ah, I should have the papers to you next week." He encountered another of Abby's stares. "Make that by the end of this week."

"Better." Abby commented, standing up and heading for the door. Innately polite, McGee thanked the hapless Lang before following her.

He joined her in the corridor, turning with her towards the squad room. "Well, that won't take as long as I thought" he told her. She made an affirmative noise. It struck him that she was unusually quiet. He wanted to question her about it, make sure she was ok, but then he caught sight of the time.

"Abs, I'm sorry, I gotta go. I'm gonna be late." He hesitated before asking "You want to get some lunch later?"

She smiled, and this time he was sure it wasn't because of Caf-Pow. "Sure. Now go, or Gibbs'll kill you."

He grinned in return, walking swiftly down the hall towards the squad room. As he got within earshot, he could hear his Boss' voice.

"Where is McGee?" Gibbs asked, looking around.

"Sorry I'm late Boss." McGee hurried into the bullpen. "We-I was up in the legal department-"

"I'll bet you were" Tony interjected.

McGee shot him a look, continuing "and it took longer than expected." He grabbed his gear as he spoke.

Gibbs' eyebrows rose as he caught sight of McGee's hand. "What is that on your finger, McGee?"

He could feel his face going pink. He'd forgotten he was still wearing his ring.

"Ah, it's a long story Boss"

Gibbs advanced toward him, his expression demanding an explanation.

"On Friday, a bunch of us went to this bar..."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

"Short version, right Boss. Ok, we got a little drunk and ended up in Vegas. When we woke up, well..." he trailed off, knowing that Gibbs had drawn his own conclusions.

"Who is we?"

McGee shot Tony another look. He'd thought that Tony had told Gibbs as he'd threatened to do

"Um, Abby and I, Boss" he admitted, wincing.

"Abby? Our Abby?"

"Yeah."

"Fix it, McGee."

"Trying to, Boss."

Gibbs turned and headed for the elevator, his team following.

As McGee went to pass Tony, the senior agent pulled him up

"Why are you still wearing the ring, Probie?"

"Abby can't get hers off; she made me promise to wear it until she could" he admitted.

He missed the evil grin on DiNozzo's face as he stepped into the elevator.


	13. Chapter 13

Arriving at the scene of a fairly grisly double homicide, McGee was relieved to find that Gibbs had resumed his usual disinterest in the team's personal lives. After spending the whole drive being peppered by questions from both Tony and Ziva, he was glad to take a moment to grab more evidence bags out of the truck. As he stood at the back of the vehicle, the ME van pulled in behind him. Ducky paused as he made his way towards the crime scene

"Morning, Timothy."

"Morning, Ducky."

"Hey McNewlywed! We haven't got all day!" Tony called out

"I see the rumours are true for once" Ducky observed, looking pointedly at McGee's hand. With an amused smile he walked towards the waiting bodies.

"Ah, congratulations?" Palmer offered hesitantly as he followed his boss.

McGee stopped him

"Hey Palmer. How did you know?"

"Mass email." Palmer admitted "It was anonymous, but it wasn't too hard to figure out who sent it."

"Are you coming, Mr Palmer?" Ducky's voice reached them faintly

"Coming, Dr. Mallard" Palmer rushed off.

"I am going to kill him." McGee thought out loud. He was starting to get the feeling he was never going to live this down.

...

When they pulled back into the evidence garage, Tony was quick to grab the evidence crates out of the back of the truck, practically running to the elevator with them. Ziva looked on in surprise, but McGee thought he knew why Tony was so eager to take the crates to Abby. He'd spent the whole morning teasing McGee about their trip to Vegas when Gibbs was out of earshot, and now he wanted to start in on Abby. He watched him go, knowing that he really couldn't do anything to stop him. And he also knew that Abby could take care of herself.

...

Tony dumped the white plastic crate on the stainless steel table, making Abby jump in surprise. She spun, an alarmed expression on her face, relaxing when she saw who it was.

He gave her a wide grin. He knew he probably shouldn't be, but he was enjoying Abby and McGee's little break from reality.

"Tony! You startled me" Abby told him. "What have you got for me?"

"Evidence for my favourite lab rat. Or should that be McLabRat?"

She held up a warning finger. "Don't start that, Tony."

He rolled his eyes. "Brass, a 9mm Browning, and personal effects from our latest crime scene." He looked on as she started to sign the evidence bags. "So I gotta ask Abs, how did McGee manage to talk you into this one?" He watched as a faint flush spread over her face. She looked guilty, he decided, drawing his own conclusions. "It wasn't his idea, was it?"


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Wow; this is officially my most reviewed story ever. So thank you guys, I really appreciate your feedback!**

**This story is getting close to finished now- only a chapter or two left to go. Hope you enjoy. F.  
**

Abby sighed as she got in the elevator to return to her lab. For once she wasn't eager to go back. Being in the lab made her easy to find; since their return from Las Vegas 3 days ago, almost every visitor to her lab had had something to say about their elopement. She and Tim had been having lunch together every day; being outside of the Yard had given them both a respite from the constant questions and teasing. She knew that she was lucky in a way; at least the lab was fairly secluded. Tim, on the other hand, had been bearing the brunt of the gossip. She felt guilty about that; she might not have been responsible for Tony's mass email, but she was definitely responsible for the cause of it. Not that Tim had said anything about it- he wouldn't- but the little annoyed furrow of his brow was starting to become permanent.

Entering her lab, the object on her desk made her stop in her tracks. Suddenly furious, she tried to force herself to take two deep breaths and calm down before she did anything. It didn't work. Whirling, she stormed out of the lab and back to the elevator.

Arriving at the squad room, she stomped her way towards Tony's desk. He grinned as he saw her, making her even angrier. His smile quickly died as he took in her expression, to be replaced by a look of near panic as she leant over his desk.

"You've gone too far Tony! I've put up with the McNames, I put up with you changing the sign on my door, but this? This time you crossed the line!"

She put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "Remember, I can kill you and leave no forensic evidence." With that, she turned and left as abruptly as she'd come.

...

Concerned, McGee watched her go. He knew Tony had changed the sign on her door to 'McForensics'- he'd come across Abby trying to fix it. But he didn't know he'd been calling her names. And now he wondered what else Tony had done to make her so angry.

He saw Tony stand up from behind his desk, smoothing his tie and saying "I'd better got talk to her." Before he had a chance to move, Ziva stopped him. "I would not go down there if I were you. That did not sound like an idle threat to me."

He looked across the bullpen to Gibbs' desk

"Boss?"

Gibbs gave a jerk of his head towards the elevators. "Go on, McGee."

"Thanks Boss."

Relieved, McGee quickly stood and hurried towards Abby's lab.

...

Abby was pacing in agitation as he entered, her pigtails swinging as she moved. She came to a stop in front of him, glaring at him.

"Did Gibbs send you?" she demanded.

"Sort of" he told her. "But mostly I was worried."

She stared at him for a moment, her eyes still hard with anger, before her expression softened and she came to him for a hug. He held her gladly for a minute before she let go and stepped back. She looked calmer now. Good.

"Abby, why didn't you tell me about the name calling?" he asked gently.

She bit her lip. "I didn't want to worry you, McGee" she admitted.

"Well, I'm worried now. What'd he do to upset you?"

"You'll think I'm really silly, Tim."

"Never, Abs" he reassured her, getting half a smile in return. He waited patiently, knowing she'd show him eventually.

Finally she sighed, walking into the second part of her lab. When she came back, she was holding what he recognised as Bert the hippo. His usual spiky collar had been replaced- with a small white wedding dress and a veil. The effect was comical; his first instinct was to laugh, but he restrained it, knowing she'd just get angry at him.

"It was just the last straw, McGee" she explained earnestly. She caught sight of the grin he tried to hide, her eyes flashing dangerously. Then she looked at the hippo again and let out an involuntary choke of laughter.

"He does look pretty funny" she admitted.

...

Tony watched McGee as he exited the elevator a few minutes later. Outwardly calm, he walked back to his desk and sat down, reopening the file he'd been studying before lunch. But Tony could see clearly the tight jaw muscles and caught the angry glint in the Probie's eyes as he glanced towards Tony's desk. Great, now he had both of them angry at him. It was obvious he wasn't going to volunteer any information about Abby's state of mind.

"Abby ok?" he asked.

"No thanks to you" McGee retorted, snapping the file folder closed. "You really upset her this time, DiNozzo."

"Look, McGee-"

"No, Tony. You've been teasing her all week. I don't care what you say to me, but you ease up on her. Hear me?"

Tony blinked in surprise. It was rare for the normally even-tempered junior agent to get angry, even when it was justified, but here he was, practically yelling. At him. It was obvious that Tony had touched a sore spot with his good natured taunting. He could only think of one reason why McGee would react like that.

"You really care about her, don't you?" he asked.

"I wouldn't have married her otherwise, Tony."

Tony was saved from replying by Gibbs re-entering the bullpen with his usual phrase.

"Got a dead sailor at Anacostia. Grab your gear."


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Ok, so this is the last chapter guys. I was intending to write another, but I just couldn't get it to work.**

**Thank you to everyone that took the time to read this story; I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it. And a special thank you to everyone that reviewed it; your comments mean a lot to me. F.  
**

Abby sat staring at Bert for a few minutes. Tim was right; he did look funny. She'd probably overreacted to Tony's teasing of the last few days. Really, nothing he'd said or done had been mean-spirited at all, and to be honest she'd be the first one to tease Tony if the tables were turned. So why had she gotten so angry over this? And why hadn't she told McGee about the McNames Tony had been calling her? He already knew about the sign on her door- if only because he'd caught her trying to fix it.

It took her quite a while to come to the conclusion she'd been trying to avoid. She liked the teasing, liked the McNames- because they sent a little thrill down her spine as she realised she was actually a McGee now, whether their marriage was an accident or not. She liked it; and that's what made her so angry about it at the same time. She was scared by how much she enjoyed it, so she struck out. And she hadn't told Tim about them because she knew he'd see that she'd liked being called 'McGoth' and 'McLabRat'- and he'd draw the right conclusion, that the only thing about their marriage she was regretting was the decision to get it annulled. That would never do, because they couldn't stay married, not if they didn't both want it. And he'd suggested the annulment, so obviously he didn't want to be married to her.

The entrance of Tony and Ziva with a crate of evidence was a welcome distraction from her thoughts.

...

The first thing that greeted her on her arrival at work on Friday was a yellow legal sized envelope with the morning mail. From the lack of a stamp it was obviously inter-agency mail. It could only be one thing- the annulment papers. She picked up the envelope, turning it over in her hands. She knew that the papers had to be signed and returned to the legal department as soon as possible, but somehow she couldn't bring herself to open it. Having the envelope in her hands somehow made the papers more real, and she didn't want to deal with that right now. She put it aside instead, telling herself she'd think about it later. She had work to do.

...

McGee spotted the yellow envelope on his desk as soon as he rounded the partition by Ziva's desk. Suddenly he was thankful that he'd beaten Tony in this morning of all mornings. If he saw the papers, the hazing that had been going on all week would get even worse, and quite frankly Tim just wanted a chance to figure out what he was going to do without Tony's interference. So he stuck the envelope, unopened, in the drawer with his badge and gun.

The entrance of the rest of the team was the signal for him to concentrate on work. They were in the finishing stages of the investigation into the murder of the Navy lieutenant that'd been found at Anacostia on Wednesday, and Gibbs would need the best information they could give him to break their suspect.

...

The lab was in darkness. They'd wrapped up their second murder case in a week, and for the second weekend in a row, the team didn't have the hotline duty. Tony had dropped by before, asking her if she wanted to catch a drink with the rest of the team. She'd grinned ruefully, reminding him what had happened the last time she'd gone out with the team, and politely but firmly declined. At least she knew that pretty much everyone had gone for the weekend; though she was pretty sure that Tim wouldn't have left without dropping by to see her.

Now that she had some peace and quiet, she had things to do. She fished in the drawer where she'd stashed the legal envelope, taking it out and putting it on the desk in front of her. She stared at it for a while. She still wasn't sure that she wanted to do this. She'd come to the realisation over the past week that she loved Tim. But this was a seriously backwards way to go about building a relationship with him, even if he wanted to.

She pulled the papers out of their manila envelope. All she had to do was sign them and send them back, and this whole crazy marriage would be undone. She turned to the final page and picked up a pen. She hesitated a moment, remembering their impulsive, drunken trip to Vegas. Spending the day with Tim, laughing and joking once the shock of waking up together had worn off. Letting her sleep on his shoulder on the journey back to Washington. Where most men would have ranted and screamed, Tim had been supportive and understanding, even once the entire Agency had found out, trying his best to protect her from the inevitable hazing.

The same thought that had haunted her for the past week came back, even stronger now. What if their marriage was for real? She shook her head, dispelling it. Putting the pen to paper, she stopped again. She couldn't do this. She laid the pen down and stood up. Stuffing the papers back in their envelope, she left the lab in search of Tim.

...

McGee sat at his desk in the squad room, staring blankly at the papers in front of him. He'd been sitting there for ages, trying to force himself to pick up a pen and sign his name. It was such a simple thing, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Tim?"

Abby's voice broke into his abstraction.

"Hey, Abs."

"You got the papers, too."  
"Yeah, got them this morning."

"Have you signed them yet?"

"Just about to; then this will be over and we can get back to normal."

He picked up the pen, and then put it down.

"You know, Abs, I can't do this." He stood and walked around the desk, facing her.

"We've both been pretending that this didn't mean anything, that it was just a stupid mistake. Well, I'm done with pretending. It damn well meant something to me, and I'm pretty sure it meant something to you too. I've been in love with you for years, Abby. So unless you can look me in the eye and tell me that it's what you really want, I'm not signing the papers."

She stared at him, an odd expression on her face. She opened her mouth to say something, thought better of it and closed it again. Instead she reached out and picked the papers up off his desk, ripping them in half in one smooth motion. Throwing the pieces into his trash can, she explained "I came up here to tell you that I couldn't sign them. It's taken me a long time to realise it, but I love you, Tim. And I know it's totally crazy, but- let's stay married."

For a moment it felt like he was dreaming. In a week she'd gone from 'This doesn't have to change anything' to 'Let's stay married'. He wondered for a split second how that'd happened, and then decided he didn't care. No matter how it had happened, she wanted to be his wife. Instead he did what he'd wanted to do all week. He reached out and pulled her into his arms, kissing her until they were both reeling.

When they finally broke apart, he smiled down at her tenderly. "Come on, Mrs McGee. Let's go home."

He picked up his pack from behind the desk, then walked with her towards the elevators. As they got in, a thought occurred to him.

"You know, Tony's never going to let up with the names now."

She cocked her head, considering. "I think I can live with that. Besides, I kinda liked them."


End file.
